Battery Dance Festival, New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival, was established by Battery Dance as the Downtown Dance Festival in 1982. It draws in-person audiences of approximately 2,000 people each night from the large downtown population of workers, residents, families, tourists, senior citizens and dance fans from the greater NYC metropolitan area and beyond. The Festival went virtual in 2020, attracting 30,000 viewers across 206 countries. In 2021, it ran as a hybrid model with over 10,000 in-person and over 21,000 virtual audience members. Since 2023, the Festival has welcomed in-person and live-streamed audiences from its new home at Rockefeller Park.

“There's something about the sense of community, the sharing of cultures, the plethora of dance styles under the changing light from the late summer sky that invigorates the spirit every August. To our tried-and-true fans, we say ‘see you again soon!’ To newcomers, we look forward to surprising you with the beauty of Rockefeller Park and the delight of seeing phenomenal dance companies in the open-air setting,” said Jonathan Hollander, Founder and Artistic Director of Battery Dance.

Performance Schedule:

Friday, August 16/FUTURE 400: Ballet Nepantla; Battery Dance; Capoeira Luanda NYC; FANIKE! African Dance Troupe; Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company; Rutkay Özpinar.

2024 FESTIVAL ARTISTS (roster subject to change):

FUTURE 400:

Ballet Nepantla (NYC)

Nacimiento (Excerpts)

Matlachines: The Matlachines dance for a deeper religious purpose, to venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe. This dance is traditionally performed every December 12th, commemorating the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in 1531. Buscapiés: Look carefully, don't confuse / between what is good or bad / because demons abound / in the terrestrial world. Listen to him zapatear / resonates like a horse / I saw goat hooves / and houndstooth. Chinito Koy Koy: A celebratory, traditional dance from the state of Yucatán, Mexico

Battery Dance (NYC)

Howling Steppers (working title)

Battery Dance premieres Howling Steppers (working title) by choreographer Rutkay Özpinar, created in Summer 2024 as part of the FUTURE 400 program, an initiative of the Netherlands Consulate General in New York. Additional sponsorship provided by the Netherland-America Foundation.

Capoeira Luanda NYC (NYC)

Capoeira Luanda, World Premiere

This performance celebrates several key elements of Brazilian culture. The main section is Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that develops the art of fighting like dance and dance like fighting, through the rhythm of live music. Part two incorporates Maculele, an Afro-Brazilian stick-dance from Bahia. The third installment culminates with Samba de Roda, a form of samba from northeast of Brazil.

FANIKE! African Dance Troupe (NYC)

UPLIFTED!

UPLIFTED! represents the eternal desire of people for healing, strength and to be uplifted during their life journey. UPLIFTED! shares the story of many people as they pull on their ancient history and culture to request, gather and then release the healing back into the universe.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company (NYC)

Peacock under the Moonlight and Long Spear Dance

Peacock under the Moonlight: The peacock is considered a sacred bird among the Dai people in the Yunnan province. Because of the performer’s supreme grace and elegance as a peacock, this dance is one of the most beautiful from that region. Long Spear Dance combines the beauty and grace of Chinese opera technique with the excitement of Kung Fu. A young warrior prepares to go onto the battlefield to defend his homeland. Even as he displays his concentration and strength, he is determined to keep the peace.

Rutkay Özpinar (Den Haag, Netherlands)

Something about Something, US premiere

In Something about Something, three dancers share a story leaving everything up to the audience's perception and imagination. What does a creation say and what is the message behind it? Dance and a creation speak for themselves as art, and the magic lies in the wonder that cannot be expressed in words. Sponsorship provided by Dutch Culture USA.